John Cleveland College and Leicester Tigers agree deal over key duo

John Cleveland College have struck a compromise with Leicester Tigers so two of their key players can be involved in the Daily Mail RBS U18 Vase semi-final against Giggleswick at Broadstreet RFC near Coventry on Sunday.

Prop Ryan Bower and wing Manu Tuilagi, the youngest of the rugby-playing brothers, are contracted members of the Leicester Academy and will play some part in their game at Leeds Carnegie on Saturday.

Then, the England internationals will join up with their teammates from the Hinckley school and start on the bench next day for a game which could be the passport to a Twickenham final on April 1.

'Ryan and Manu have grown up with their teammates and are desperate to be involved in such a big game for the school,' said JCC coach Dave Heybrock. JCC will definitely be without influential lock Huw Marsden, who suffered a knee injury two weeks ago, but Joe Glover, the Midlands U18 and Leicestershire scrum-half, who plays in a variety of positions for the school, will be a key man.

JCC have plenty of experience of reaching the latter stages of Daily Mail RBS competitions, having lifted the U15 Cup in 2004 and they were the first winners of the U18 Plate - now the Vase - in 1996.

They were also runners-up in the U15 Vase three years ago and many of that side, including Bower and Tuilagi, will be in action on Sunday. 'Having the experience of playing in finals and semi-finals does help,' said Heybrock.

He would have preferred the team to have been involved in the Cup semi-finals at Broadstreet this Saturday, but a surprise second round defeat by county rivals Leicester Grammar meant they had to settle for a place in the Vase.

'That was a bit of blip for us although Leicester Grammar have had a pretty good season,' Heybrock said. 'But when we played them recently in the county cup, we beat them fairly comfortably.

'I have to say that we wanted to be in the Cup and had targeted the quarter-finals. But once you are in the Vase the only consolation is to try to get to Twickenham and hopefully win it.'